LITURGICAL ABUSE IN THE CHURCH

 

LITURGICAL ABUSE IN THE CATHOLIC CHURCH

INTRODUCTION

This topic is the theme for the 2019 catecathical week. It is a nice topic. I only tried to briefly describe some of the points, with the intention that it will assist us in worshipping God as we suppose to do.

WHAT IS WORSHIP

"Worship is the rendering to God what is owed God by intelligent beings" (Virgil Michel, OSB). Human beings are made for love and communion with God. "God, infinitely perfect and blessed in himself, in a plan of sheer goodness freely created man to make him share in his own blessed life. For this reason, at every time and in every place, God draws close to man. He calls man to seek him, to know him, to love him with all his strength" (CCC 1). Because we know that the greatest act of love is a sacrifice – to lay down one's life (John 15:13) – in worship we offer a sacrifice of praise and give everything we have to God. Worship can be both public (liturgy) and private (devotional, both individual and communal). Both are integral to a healthy and vibrant spiritual life.

WHAT IS LITURGY

Liturgy comes from a Greek word “leitourgia” which is a word that is used to describe the work of an individual in service or all Christian service. It has come to mean an established formula for public worship, a proscribed ritual which many churches use in their services and in their ceremonial rites. In a Catholic Church, it can include all forms and services in any language in any part of the world for the celebration of Mass, for example. The liturgy can refer to the daily activity of the Muslim slat or attendance at a Quaker meeting.
At Athens the leitourgia was the public service performed by the wealthier citizens at their own expense, such as the office of gymnasiarch, who superintended the gymnasium, that of choregus, who paid the singers of a chorus in the theatre, that of the hestiator, who gave a banquet to his tribe, of the trierarchus, who provided a warship for the state. The meaning of the word liturgy is then extended to cover any general service of a public kind. In the Septuagint it (and the verb leitourgeo) is used for the public service of the temple (e.g., Exodus 38:27; 39:12 etc.). Thence it comes to have a religious sense as the function of the priests, the ritual service of the temple (e.g., Joesl 1:9; 2:17 etc.). In the New Testament his religious meaning has become definitely established. In Luke 1:23, Zachary goes home when "the days of his liturgy" (ai hemerai tes leitourgias autou) are over. In Hebrews 8:6, the high priest of the New Law "has obtained a better liturgy", that is a better kind of public religious service than that of the Temple.

Liturgy is the divine worship of the Church and includes the celebration of Mass, the celebration of the Sacraments, and the Divine Office or Daily Prayer of the Church. The celebration of the Eucharist is the source and summit of our faith, and so all other liturgies flow from and to the celebration of Mass. Liturgy is not just the words that are said, it is much much more than that.  Through the liturgy we encounter God, and our united with our brothers and sisters across the world as the Universal Church.

From a theological viewpoint, the liturgy is the exercise now on earth of Christ's priestly office, as distinct from his role as teacher and ruler of his people. Christ performs this priestly office as Head of his Mystical Body, so that Head and members together offer the sacred liturgy. Its function, therefore, is twofold: to give honor and praise to God, which is worship, and to obtain blessings for the human race, which is sanctification. (Etym. Latin liturgia; from Greek leitos, of the people + ergon, work: leitourgia, public duty, public worship.)  

TEACHING OF THE CHURCH ON LITURGY

Christian liturgy “is essentially an ACTIO DEI, an action of God which draws us into Christ through the Holy Spirit;" and it has a dual dimension, ascending and descending. “The liturgy is an 'action' of the whole Christ (Christus totus)" (CCC, 1136), and thus “it is the whole community, the Body of Christ united with its Head, that celebrates" (CCC, 1140). In the midst of the assembly Christ himself is present (cf. Mt 18:20), risen and glorious. CHRIST PRESIDES OVER THE CELEBRATION. He, who acts inseparably united to the Holy Spirit, convokes, unites, and teaches the assembly. He, the Eternal High Priest, is the principle protagonist of the ritual action that makes present the salvific event, while making use of his ministers to re-present (to make present, really and truly, in the here and now of the liturgical celebration) his redeeming sacrifice, and to make us sharers in the life-giving gifts of his Eucharist.

While forming “as it were one mystical person" with Christ the Head, THE CHURCH ACTS IN THE SACRAMENTS AS A “PRIESTLY SOCIETY" THAT IS “ORGANICALLY STRUCTURED." Thanks to Baptism and Confirmation the priestly people become able to celebrate the liturgy. Therefore “liturgical services are not private functions, but are celebrations of the Church. They manifest it, and have effects upon it. But they touch individual members of the Church in different ways, depending on their orders, their role in the liturgical services, and their actual participation in them."

The whole Church, in heaven and on earth, God and men, takes part in each liturgical celebration (cf. Rev 5). Christian liturgy, even though it may take place solemnly here and now in a specific place and express the YES of a particular community, is by its very nature “catholic." In union with the Pope, with the bishops in communion with the Roman Pontiff, and with the faithful of all times and places, the liturgy is directed towards all mankind, SO THAT GOD BE ALL IN ALL (1 Cor 15:28). Hence this fundamental principle: the true subject of the liturgy is the Church, specifically the COMMUNION SANCTORUM, the communion of saints of all places and times.

PARTICIPATION IN THE DIVINE LIFE OF THE TRINITY

The Trinity is a constant dialogue of love between three distinct persons: Father, Son, and Spirit. Citing the Compendium to the CCC which draws on the writings of Augustine, Archbishop William Lori writes that "the living, eternal bond of love between the Father and Son is the Person of the Holy Spirit." Through the liturgy, we enter the Trinitarian dialogue by sharing in the Paschal mystery of Christ's suffering, death, resurrection, and ascension to the right hand of the Father. This is possible because of our being grafted onto Christ by means of his mystical Body. In turn, Christ presents his Body (of which we are a part) to the Father in sacrifice on our behalf. It is through sharing in Christ's sacrifice to the Father that we participate in the divine life of the Trinity. God's intention for us is that we become divinized – namely, that we participate in the divine life of God and in so doing are made holy like him: "By the mystery of this water and wine, may we come to share in the divinity of Christ who humbled himself to share in our humanity" (Roman Missal).

THE MYSTERY OF FAITH

What exactly is the mystery? During the Mass, we profess what we call the Mystery of Faith. In three different forms, we describe the saving action of God through our participation in Christ's sacrifice on the cross, made present in the Eucharistic meal. This is our memorial, our observance of his command, and also our making present of the events that followed his last supper. The Holy Spirit makes Christ's one true sacrifice of Calvary present at every liturgy. Christ is the head – represented in the priest– we are body, and we always present our worship to the Father. TO the Father, IN the Son, THROUGH the Holy Spirit. This is the proper orientation of our liturgical prayer and action. 

HOW TO PARTICIPATE 

PRAY the Mass. Be mindful that every action is part of worship. Sing along when appropriate, listen attentively to the readings and homily (if not read and prepare before Mass), pray along earnestly with the prayers, maintain an engaged and reverent posture. Particularly during the Sorsum Corda ("lift up your hearts") and the Doxology ("through him, with him, in him"), these are crucial moments the faithful are being invited to join our individual and collective sacrifices to that of Christ to present perfectly to the Father. While the Eucharist is indeed a heavenly banquet that is a foretaste of the eternal banquet, it is first and foremost Christ's sacrifice and in turn, that of his Body the Church. Our ritual observance of this sacrifice as a Church demands our attention and participation as individual baptized members of the Body. 

 

WAYS THROUGH WHICH PRIESTS ABUSE LITURGY

Let us begin with this complain by someone. Pay more attention on those one I marked with asterisks. The comments in the bracket belong to me. Our pastor always has said some things differently than they are in the missal, but most of these are changes priests often make, and we never worried about them. For instance, at many points he adds the words here and now; in the prayer after the Our Father he says “protect us from useless worry”; before Communion he says, “Happy are we who are called to this supper”; and when he gives Communion he says, “Receive the body of Christ.” The new assistant is doing some little things like that but he also is doing many more drastic things. **In the penitential rite and throughout the Mass, he never uses the word sin. **He sometimes has a layperson, usually a woman, read the Gospel and give the homily. **He always skips the Creed. **Right after the prayers of the faithful, which take a long time because he asks everyone to join in, he receives the gifts and begins the dialogue before the preface, skipping the offertory. He uses the third Eucharistic prayer for children, with some changes, at Sunday Masses in which most participants are adults, and **he wants everyone to say the words of consecration with him (dangerously bad). The sign of peace takes a long time because he goes around the church making contact with as many people as possible: he encourages everyone to express their feelings by hugging and kissing, and he does a good deal of that himself. **Then he has the Eucharistic ministers give everyone in the church a host to hold, so that all receive at the same time (dangerously bad), and he has the ministers put the cups on the altar rail and urges everyone to help themselves (imagine!!!). He says everybody should feel free to receive. We were hesitant to talk with the assistant, but we prayed about it and decided it was the right thing to do. The other couples elected my wife and me to represent the whole group. We made an appointment with him and discussed the things he does, especially his asking everyone to say the words of consecration and the way he has the ministers handle Communion. **He pointed out that most priests make some changes in the liturgy, and said his changes are in line with the fact that the Mass is not a reenactment of the Last Supper, but a memorial meal in which all Jesus’ disciples share and everyone should be active (This is the worst idea a Catholic priest could conceive, that Mass is a memorial meal just like that of the Anglican and Protestants communion service. Terrible!!!)

We replied that, while we do want to participate actively, it does not seem right for lay people to join with the priest, or even replace him, in doing things the priest alone usually does, and that while the Mass is a memorial meal, it also is Christ’s sacrifice, and it seems to us that the priest alone should say Jesus’ words that change the bread and wine into his body and blood, and that the priest should receive Communion first (Nice reply from a laity). He said all Christians ought to be equal and the idea of the Eucharist as magic was just an excuse for dividing them into castes (levels) and denying that Christ can act through everyone, including women. We asked what he meant by “the idea of the Eucharist as magic.” He said he meant the idea that it is something other than the action of both the priest and the people, using bread and wine, in a meal that reminds everyone that Jesus loves them and that all God’s People are equal. We said we and the other couples had not felt unequal and did not feel changes were needed. He said he had received a great deal of feedback from the parish and most people like what he is doing. We expressed our concern about the effects on our children and other young people. At that he became irritated and said he refused to be bound by a straitjacket of liturgical rules and was not going to be told by a little group of laypeople how to preside at the liturgy. My wife made the mistake of asking if that meant we belonged to an inferior caste. Though she immediately apologized for her sarcasm, the priest banged his fist on the table, angrily accused us of being pre–Vatican II and divisive, said talking with us was a waste of time, and showed us to the door.

After that meeting with the assistant, we talked things over with the pastor. We were careful not to say that all the unauthorized changes priests make are wrong, because that would have been criticizing him too. Instead, we mentioned only the more important things the new assistant has been doing and reported our discussion with him, LEAVING OUT ONLY THE ASSISTANT’S ARGUMENT THAT MOST PRIESTS MAKE SOME CHANGES. THE PASTOR SEEMED SHOCKED, SAID THE THINGS WE DESCRIBED ARE SERIOUS ABUSES, AND PROMISED TO GET AFTER THE ASSISTANT. HE ALSO SUGGESTED THAT WE AVOID GOING TO MASS WITH THE ASSISTANT, and said that by noon each Friday he would change the recorded message giving the Mass schedule to indicate which Masses he and the assistant would be saying that weekend. That was a couple of months ago. Most of the time, all six families have been avoiding the assistant’s Masses, but one family took a chance last Saturday evening, and found him still doing things just as he was. Should we do something more? We don’t want to get our pastor into trouble. He has been good, and his homilies show he really has faith. He supports the pope’s teaching, and he encouraged our prayer group.

NOTE: Serious liturgical abuses are not mere rule breaking; the Church has good reasons for her liturgical norms. In discussing liturgical changes, it is important to maintain a clear distinction between unauthorized changes and those that have been authorized—for example, in the liturgical books or in the official instructions for their use. Instead of the former uniformity and rigid precision in the celebration of the liturgy, the Church has authorized a good deal of variety and flexibility, precisely to foster a genuinely communal celebration in which the faithful participate actively. Priests who use legitimate options in an effort to help the faithful understand the meaning of the sacred action and share in it should be commended. And most priests who adopt some of the more common and less significant unauthorized changes surely do so in a well-intentioned, though mistaken, effort to pursue more effectively the good purpose of the authorized changes. It also is important to bear in mind that, in celebrating the liturgy, even the most conscientious priests sometimes become confused, make mistakes, or forget to say or do something. Emergencies and other special situations also can render it morally impossible to do and say everything precisely according to liturgical norms, so that in choosing to celebrate despite obstacles a priest may be compelled to proceed in ways that are not explicitly authorized. In such a case, however, the unauthorized changes are not intended to substitute for the liturgy authorized by the Church but rather to carry it out as well as possible under the circumstances.

Looking for a joyful celebration as the assistant may argues, FIRST, though a joyful experience of celebration is desirable, it is not essential to the fruitfulness of the Eucharist; the joy that is essential to it flows from charity—the fellowship of the Holy Spirit. The ritual kiss of peace, for instance, is meant to express the divine love that unites Jesus’ disciples who abide in it, and not merely or even primarily to manifest human good will and feelings of affection, appropriate as they too are among fellow Christians. SECOND, provided those who participate wish to worship God appropriately, A Well-Planned Liturgy Can Be A Joyful Experience without any unauthorized changes; important factors leading to a good experience are the reverence and sincerity of the celebrant and other ministers, a good homily, suitable music performed well, and the appropriate use of legitimate options. THIRD, even minor unauthorized changes distract and irritate many of the faithful, and serious aberrations can be very distressing, so that participation in the liturgy becomes for some a wretched experience.

There are many reasons why it is wrong for priests intentionally to make unauthorized liturgical changes. Two are especially important. FIRST, such changes sometimes embody or imply deviations from Catholic faith; even when they do not, they often omit or obscure something of the liturgy’s expression of faith. Thus, the Church teaches: The law of prayer is the law of faith: the Church believes as she prays. Liturgy is a constitutive element of the holy and living Tradition (cf. DV 8). For this reason no sacramental  rite may be modified or manipulated at the will of the minister or the community. Even the supreme authority in the Church may not change the liturgy arbitrarily, but only in the obedience of faith and with religious respect for the mystery of the liturgy. (CCC, 1124–25) SECOND, in the Eucharist, a priest acts in the person of Christ, who joins humankind to the Father; but in making unauthorized changes, a priest obscures Jesus’ action, focuses attention on himself, and becomes an obstacle to the relationship between God and his People that priests are ordained to serve. Imagine that a family’s rich uncle, living abroad, promised them the gift of a new Rolls Royce and directed a local dealer to deliver it, but the dealer decided the family would do better with a Jaguar, and so delivered that instead. The family had no right to the gift of the Rolls, and might even be satisfied with the Jaguar. Still, the dealer has defrauded not only the uncle but the family, who should have received what they had been given. Priests are agents ordained to deliver God’s gifts to his People. If they deliver some substitute for what Jesus has entrusted to them, they interpose themselves between—and defraud—both God and his People.

FIVE ADDITIONAL REASONS WHY UNAUTHORIZED CHANGES SHOULD NOT BE MADE IN THE LITURGY

FIRST, the liturgy is the worship of the Church as a body, and those who are ordained act as Church officials in performing liturgical roles. So, insofar as a priest makes unauthorized changes, he misrepresents as the Church’s what is in fact only his or some limited group’s. Even if this misrepresentation deceives no one and is intended for some good end, it is at odds with the reverence necessary for true worship (see LCL, 145). SECOND, this essential irreverence and the obvious arbitrariness of intentional, unauthorized changes strongly suggest that the Eucharist is not sacred, and this suggestion tends to undermine not only faith in Jesus’ bodily presence in the consecrated elements, but faith that the Eucharist is Jesus’ sacrifice made present for the faithful to share in.

THIRD, a priest who makes intentional, unauthorized changes acts with deplorable clericalism by imposing his personal preferences on the laity, and violating the rights of those who quite reasonably wish only to participate in the Church’s worship.

FOURTH, intentionally making unauthorized changes sets a bad example of serious disobedience to the Church’s norms, and this bad example is likely to encourage some people to think and do as they please not only in liturgical and canonical matters but in matters of faith and morals.

FIFTH, as seen above, unauthorized liturgical changes often become a needless, divisive issue for the faithful, thus impeding the charity that the Eucharist should express and foster.

Thus, the Church’s teaching absolutely excludes intentional, unauthorized changes in the liturgy. The Council of Trent solemnly taught: “If anyone shall say that the received and approved rites of the Catholic Church accustomed to be used in the solemn administration of the sacraments may be disdained or omitted by the minister without sin and at pleasure, or may be changed by any pastor of the churches to other new ones: let him be anathema” (DS 1613/856). Vatican II’s teaching is no less clear. While some elements of the liturgy “can and even ought to vary in the course of time” (SC 21), only the pope and, as laws may determine, other bishops and bodies of bishops may make such changes: “Therefore, absolutely no other person, not even a priest, may add, remove, or change anything in the liturgy on his own authority” (SC 22). In conformity with her teaching, the Church’s law prescribes: “The liturgical books approved by the competent authority are to be faithfully observed in the celebration of the sacraments; therefore no one on personal authority may add, remove or change anything in them” (CIC, c. 846, §1).

“The liturgy has its laws which must be respected.” Pope John Paul II, March 8, 1997

OTHER WAYS THROUGH WHICH THE PRIESTS ABUSE LITURGY

• Confusion of roles, especially regarding the priestly ministry and the role of the laity (indiscriminate shared recitation of the Eucharistic Prayers, homilies given by lay people, lay people distributing Holy Communion while the priests refrain from doing so)
• An increasing loss of the sense of the sacred (abandonment of liturgical vestments, the Eucharist celebrated outside Church without real need, lack of reverence and respect for the Blessed Sacrament, etc.), Some priests were pams (unbuckled sandals) to celebarate Liturgy, the minimum footwear should be buckled sandals. Some wear their alb while wearing shorts inside, from their rooms (no trousers, no soutane or roman collar). Not all trousers can be worn for liturgical celebrations.
• Misunderstanding of the ecclesial nature of the liturgy (the use of private texts, the proliferation of unapproved Eucharistic Prayers, the manipulation of the liturgical texts for social and political ends).”
• Refusal to give Holy Communion on the tongue, or to those who are kneeling;
• Bowing instead of genuflecting after the elevation of host and chalice;
• Interrupting the Mass;
• Giving homily for more than 30mins on Sundays and 5mins on weekdays.
• Omitting penitential rite;
• Holding hands during the Our Father;
• Unwarranted so-called liturgical dancing;
• Leaving the sanctuary to give the kiss of peace;
• Changing, adding or omitting words even of the Canon of the Mass;
• Among other liturgical horrors are clown and rock masses, and the consequent profanation of the church as a sacred place. There is also the annual “Call to Action” mass, sometimes attended by bishops, priests, religious and laity, at which all say the words of consecration.

WAYS THROUGH WHICH THE LAITY ABUSE LITURGY

• Wearing pams to serve Mass or take the readings for Mass
• Coming late for Mass and receiving communion
• Answering phone calls inside the church during Mass or even going out to answer the call while liturgical celebration (Mass, Benediction, Rosary, Baptism, Confession) is on, and you are involved.
• Attending liturgical celebration with improper dress
• Noise making in the Church
• Non liturgical dance
• Discussing in the church or outside the church while celebrstion is on
• Chewing gum during liturgical celebration
• Chatting and browsing during liturgical celebration
• Collecting contributions/dues during liturgical celebration
• And many other ones that you know.

CAUSES OF LITUGICAL ABUSE

A. PRIEST: Lack of preparation for liturgical celebration, Pride, Show off, to impress some people he has in mind. (A priest can make mistake. This is unintentional. Abuse has to do with intentional act).

B. LAITY: Lack of preparation for liturgical celebration, unseriousness with Church activities, Pride, show off.

WHY LITURGY MUST BE WORTHILY CELEBRATED

The importance of the liturgy, the public worship of the Church, can hardly be exaggerated. The work of the liturgy is our sanctification and salvation. Through it we go from sin to grace, from earth to Heaven. The Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy of Vatican II tells us: “It is the liturgy through which, especially in the divine Sacrifice of the Eucharist, the work of our redemption is accomplished” (Introduction, n.2). No private action is comparable to liturgical worship: “Every liturgical celebration, because it is an action of Christ the Priest and of His Body, which is the Church, is a sacred action surpassing all others” (ibid. n.7). Not only does the liturgy offer grace and salvation, it is also a vehicle of divine revelation, a preserver and teacher of doctrine, the ultimate Catechist, instructing and teaching on matters of faith. “Lex orandi, lex credendi,” the law of prayer or worship is also the law or carrier of our belief. Pope Pius XII referred to the liturgy as “the principal organ of the Magisterium of the Church.” The measure of charity in the world can be largely gauged by the measure of liturgical worship. Pope John Paul II has affirmed the essential link between the Eucharist and the Church’s spiritual and apostolic vitality. (Dominicae Cenae, Feb. 24, 1980, no. 4).

THE LITURGY AND LAW

The Church guards the liturgy and protects it with liturgical law. She does this with divinely delegated authority. “Regulation of the sacred liturgy depends solely on the authority of the Church, that is, on the Apostolic See and, as laws may determine, the bishop.” (Vatican II, Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, n. 22). Bishops and bishops’ conferences have only that authority over the liturgy which is explicitly granted. “No other person, not even a priest, may add, renew or change anything in the liturgy on his own authority.” (ibid.). The reason for this is that “liturgical services pertain to the whole Body of the Church… they manifest it and have effects upon it.” (ibid. n. 26).

Liturgical law is ordained not to restrict freedom of worship, but to enhance it, to ensure both the truth and beauty of public prayer. There is a marvelously concise overview of liturgical doctrine and law in The Catechism of the Catholic Church, paragraphs 1066-1209. It answers the questions: Why the Liturgy? Who Celebrates the Liturgy? How is the Liturgy Celebrated? When is the Liturgy Celebrated? “Where is the Liturgy Celebrated?

THE INTRINSIC EVIL OF LITURGICAL ABUSE

St. Thomas Aquinas wrote: “One who offers worship to God on the Church’s behalf in a way contrary to that which is laid down by the Church with God-given authority.., is guilty of falsification.” (Summa Theologica, II-II, q. 93, a. 1). It is a violation of the first commandment. The priest becomes an impostor.

Abuses are also a form of liturgical nihilism. Humility of worship is replaced by pride, service by disobedience. Scandal replaces edification and the custodian becomes a destroyer. What should be a source of grace becomes an occasion of sin; what should be an act of divine love becomes the stench of death. In the words of Pope Paul VI: “Anything that departs from this pattern (of loyalty to the will of the Church as ex pressed in its precepts, norms and structures), even if it has a specious attractiveness, is in fact spiritually upsetting to the faithful, and makes the ministry of priests lifeless and sterile.” (Directory on Masses for Special Groups)

THE EFFECTS OF LITURGICAL ABUSES

The Instruction, “Inaestimabile Donum” points out four principal bad results which can come from liturgical abuses:

1. The unity of faith and worship is impaired: Liturgical abuses often inculcate moral errors along with their deviation from the rubrics. The practice in some churches of saying “all are invited to the table” teaches either that the Mass forgives mortal sins or that the state of grace is not necessary for the reception of Holy Communion.

2. Liturgical abuses bring with them doctrinal uncertainty: This is done in myriad ways. Sometimes the tabernacle is so hidden that the words of Mary Magdalene could apply: “They have taken away my Lord, and I know not where they have laid Him.” (John 20, 13). Christ is ignored through the failure to genuflect when the rubrics demand it, by standing during the Consecration, by failure to make a sign of adoration in receiving Holy Communion. Christ is ignored by socializing in church. To ignore a person is to treat him or her as non-existent. So, the ground is laid for doctrinal errors like transignification and transfinalization in place of the truth of transubstantiation.

When reverence, decorum, recollection and rightful awe disappear from our churches, the church becomes a place of diminished faith. In the introductory rite for the Dedication of a Church, we read: “This is a place of awe; this is God’s house, the gate of Heaven, and it shall be called the royal court of God.” We ought to conduct ourselves accordingly.

3. Liturgical abuses cause scandal and bewilderment among the People of God: People and even priests are often deeply offended by liturgical violations. An old priest who has spent his priestly life in the missions, returning to visit his Mother House, was scandalized to see his confreres (brothers in a religious congregation) celebrating the community Mass without alb or chasuble. An associate pastor who trained altar boys to genuflect before the Blessed Sacrament heard the pastor forbid them to do so because it was “pre-Vatican II.” Pastors are scandalized by associates who violate the liturgy and vice-versa, causing trouble or tension in the rectory.

4. Liturgical abuses bring “a near inevitability of violent reaction”: Some are bewildered and grieve in silence. In many, the reaction is bitter criticism, anger, resentment, or a deep feeling of betrayal. Some stop going to Mass. Some so criticize the Church that their children are alienated from the faith. Every liturgical aberration sets up its own chain of negative reactions by a kind of tragic law.

THE REMEDIES OF LITURGICAL ABUSES 

1. Obviously, liturgical abuses are eliminated through the observance of liturgical law. This remedy is the vindication of a right. Canon 214 of the Code of Canon Law says that “Christ’s faithful have the right to worship God according to the provisions of their own rite approved by the lawful Pastors of the Church.”

The law states clearly where the responsibility lies. In his own diocese, the correction of liturgical abuses is the obligation of the bishop (cf. Can. 392.2). Under the bishop’s authority, the parish priest must direct the liturgy in his own parish, and he is bound to “be on guard against abuses.” (Can.528.2). To obtain the correction of an abuse, it should be sufficient to draw the attention of the parish priest to an aberration. If nothing is done, it must be brought to the attention of the bishop. If Church law and legal redress were ob served, there would not be a liturgical abuse in the world. What then is the remedy? When shepherds will not shepherd, the remedy, an inadequate one, must be found in one’s personal reaction. Some bear with abuses as a cross and penance. Others legitimately go to another parish or to a church of another rite or a Tridentine Mass.

2. Priests and lay faithful who are to participate in liturgical celebration are to prepare well for it, go through the books and master them.

3. Liturgical celebration should not be an avenue to show off. It is worship.

FULL, ACTIVE AND CONSCIOUS PARTICIPATION IN LITURGY

Full participation certainly means that every member of the community has a part to play in the liturgy; and in this respect a great deal has been achieved in parishes and communities across your land. But full participation does not mean that everyone does everything, since this would lead to a clericalizing of the laity and a laicizing of the priesthood; and this was not what the Council had in mind. The liturgy, like the Church, is intended to be hierarchical and polyphonic, respecting the different roles assigned by Christ and allowing all the different voices to blend in one great hymn of praise.

Active participation certainly means that, in gesture, word, song and service, all the members of the community take part in an act of worship, which is anything but inert or passive. Yet active participation does not preclude the active passivity of silence, stillness and listening: indeed, it demands it. Worshippers are not passive, for instance, when listening to the readings or the homily, or following the prayers of the celebrant, and the chants and music of the liturgy. These are experiences of silence and stillness, but they are in their own way profoundly active.

Conscious participation calls for the entire community to be properly instructed in the mysteries of the liturgy, lest the experience of worship degenerate into a form of ritualism.

SIGN OF PEACE

The Vatican on 1 August 2008 confirmed the authenticity of a letter on the “sign of peace” that was released by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments and appeared on the website of the Spanish bishops’ conference. Catholic News Service reportedly obtained the English text of the letter, which was approved by Pope Francis, and which stated that the sign of peace—currently placed after the consecration and before the recitation of the Agnus Dei in the Roman Rite—will not be moved to another part of the Mass, as had been proposed by some bishops. Catholic News Sevice reports: “After nine years of study and consultation, the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments has told Latin-rite bishops around the world that the sign of peace will stay where it is in the Mass”.

However, the congregation said, “if it is foreseen that it will not take place properly,” it can be omitted. But when it is used, it must be done with dignity and awareness that it is not a liturgical form of “good morning,” but a witness to the Christian belief that true peace is a gift of Christ’s death and resurrection. …Cardinal Antonio Canizares Llovera, then prefect of the congregation, and Archbishop Arthur Roche, the congregation’s then secretary, said Pope Benedict XVI had asked the congregation to study the matter and, after doing so, in 2008 it asked bishops’ conferences around the world whether to keep the sign of peace where it is or move it to another moment “with a view to improving the understanding and carrying out of this gesture.” “After further reflection,” the letter said, “it was considered appropriate to retain the rite of peace in its traditional place in the Roman liturgy and not to introduce structural changes in the Roman Missal.” But that does not exclude the need for new or renewed efforts to explain the importance of the sign of peace so that the faithful understand it and participate in it correctly, the congregation’s letter said.

It asked bishops to study whether it might be time to find “more appropriate gestures” to replace a sign of peace using “familiar and profane gestures of greeting.”

And, it said, they should do everything possible to end “abuses” such as:

— “The introduction of a ‘song for peace,’ which is nonexistent in the Roman rite.”

— “The movement of the faithful from their places to exchange the sign of peace amongst themselves.”

— “The departure of the priest from the altar in order to give the sign of peace to some of the faithful.”

— People using the sign of peace at Christmas, Easter, baptisms, weddings, ordinations and funerals to offer holiday greetings, congratulations or condolences.

SUMMARY

The liturgy is an “action of God” that unites us to Jesus Christ through the Holy Spirit (cf. "Sacramentum Caritatis," no. 37). It is not a private property but a public property and action. It has rules that must be followed. It is an act of worship. It is not for showing off, and amusement.

© Rev Utazi Prince Marie Benignus Zereuwa SFDPM

October 2019